Black, Purple and Copper
by platolucy
Summary: As The Marauders and Penny Rider begin their final year at Hogwarts, a great challenge awaits them: The Triwizard Tournament. Rated T for language because we all know that Sirius Black dropped a few F-Bombs during his time.
1. Catching Up

If someone had called Penny Rider and Sirius Black Hogwarts' "power couple", they wouldn't be entirely wrong. Except that Sirius might send a hex in their general direction. The term "couple" wasn't the word that the two preferred to use. It was too… teenage. Innocent. Girly.

Penny Rider and Sirius Black's relationship formed more of an infamous duo. Throw in the rest of The Marauders and the result was a Professor's nightmare. Potions essays were bound to be cheated off of. Charm spells were going to be faked. It was only a matter of time until Greenhouse Number 5 lost a number of mandrakes to a particularly purple fire, much to Professor Smeortan's terror. Those plants were like her children to her.

The two had appropriately met in detention their Second Year at Hogwarts. Professor Spinney, only in her first year of teaching, had naively planned together the detention dates of two of the worst behaved students at the school. The detention veterans had heard rumors of each other and decided to make acquaintances.

In the brief minutes that Professor Spinney took to write on the board (she was muggle born and still preferred to write with her hand), Sirius Black has noticed the girl sitting a desk away from him. She was slouched back in her desk, her long black hair flipped onto the desk behind her. Her knees were crossed and jammed into her own desk, and her hand stroked the feather of a quill she was holding. The quill was purple.

"Oi, stalker." She turned and noticed Sirius. He too had black hair, although his was a great amount shorter than hers. Their equally brown eyes looked at each other. "What do you think you're looking at?"

Sirius slouched back in his chair. "So you're the famous Penny Rider, huh?"

Penny tilted her head. "Sirius Black, I take it." She stuck out her hand to him, her chewed nails rather short and messy. "Nice to finally meet you. " The two shook hands like adults do. "I've heard great things, Mr. Black."

"And you, Ms. Rider."

Since then they were the Bonnie and Clyde of the school. The audacity and nerve of the Gryffindor and the order and focus of the Ravenclaw made a dangerous combination. What made things worse for Hogwarts' professors was the bond that Penny soon made with the other Marauders. It would never be admitted aloud by the administration, but it was rumored that other students' class schedules were planned around The Marauders' so that they would never all have a class together. Or too many of them at once, anyway.

Among the quintet, their previous six years in school held nearly 50 detentions, 41 Quidditch match wins, and 18 hospital wing trips when a prank spell went wrong. Remus Lupin added a few extra hospital trips to that number, but his friends wouldn't know that for a few years.

Now entering their Seventh Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Penny and The Marauders showed no signs of holding back their troublemaking and knack to annoy their least favorite professors. Already, in a compartment in the back of the Hogwarts Express, the mischief had begun.

"Sirius, give it back!"

"Kiss me for it." Sirius taunted his girlfriend. The girlfriend he'd had since he was thirteen. The girlfriend his parents would never know about.

"I don't kiss guys who are twats to me."

"Then you'd be a virgin." Sirius smirked. The compartment erupted with shouts of "Merlin, Penny!" and "Sirius! C'mon, man!" Peter squeaked in the corner.

"You," Penny lowered her hands and gave up reaching for her wand in Sirius' grasp, "are the biggest," she reached her arms across his shoulders, "blithering idiot I've ever met." She smiled and ignored her friends rolling their eyes at her.

"I don't know," Sirius shrugged, "James is pretty dim."

"Oi."

The ragtag group of friends continued to annoy each other and pick up their antics as if summer had never happened. As if they hadn't been forced to spend an entire two months apart.

Sirius's family was run by his manipulative and practically evil parents. His mother treated him like a curse that she hadn't signed up for, but kept him on a tight leash. Once she found out that Sirius had started sneaking out at night to floo to the Potters', their floo powder supply was locked up under a tight spell. Thankfully, they hadn't discovered the small mirror that Remus had charmed for James and Sirius to talk to each other through.

Penny was in a similar situation at her house. Her mother died when she was thirteen, and her father grew afraid that he would loose his children too. So he began to demand attention from Penny and her brother and convinced them to stay at home with him at all moments possible. He reminded them that while they were off at school, having fun with their friends, he'd be waiting home for them alone. The summer was their only time together.

Remus suffered from lycanthropy. His case was very much common knowledge to his closest friends, except for Penny. She was more of Sirius' girlfriend than someone in his tight knit group of people who he could trust. He trusted her, of course, but he wanted minimal people to know his secret. So when school was out for the summer, and there was no Shrieking Shack to hide in, Remus kept to himself the best he could. He might hurt someone. It was enough of a danger going to school for 10 months of the year.

The Potters' house was always open to James' friends, of course. If only his friends knew that. He'd invited them over monthly throughout the school years, but they'd yet to comply. There had been a trip or two with Sirius when his parents had grown sick of him, and maybe Remus would tag along if the moon cycle was aligned accordingly.

As for what Peter did during his summers, well… No one knew for sure. Remus may have asked Peter once or twice, but he'd never given a straight answer.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" The glass door to the 6 people's compartment slid open.

Penny was first to stand up and walk to the cart of food. "I'll have five Chocolate Frogs, a Pumpkin Pastie, three Cauldron Cakes…"

"Damn, anything else?" Remus asked.

"I'm fucking hungry." Penny insisted as she pulled out a few sickles and galleons in her robe pockets. Her dad had insisted that she and her brother changed into their robes while they were still at home.

"Get me a Cauldron Cake too, while you're at it." James held out money to Penny. She took it and traded it with the lady for James' food.

"How about a few Jelly Slugs for you favorite, extremely handsome…"

"I'm not your cashier, Sirius." Penny sat down with her food in her lap.

Lily stood up and walked to the Honeydukes Express herself. "Do you have any Licorice Wands? I remember that you were out last year."

"Yes, dear. They've restocked it with new flavors this year, too." The kind lady lifted a jar with several pieces of candy sticking out.

"No offense, Lily," James said, "but Licorice Wands are disgusting. I'm surprised in you."

"They're delicious, Potter." She sat down next to him after she'd paid for her candy. "You're mental."

"Sticking to the last name still, are we?" James stole one of her Licorice Wands from her grasp and handed one to Sirius.

"Yes," Lily said shocked, "give me back my Lico…" Peter reached across the compartment and stole the wand out of Sirius' hand. "Peter!" Lily begged. Peter replied by taking a large bite out of it.

"Oi, Peter." Sirius snapped, "That was mine. James took it for me." Peter seemed to regret his decision to play along.

"Are you lot seriously fighting over food?" Remus asked from the corner.

"What else is worthy of fighting over?" Penny asked.

Peter laughed a bit. "I'd imagine a bit more than food."

"Like people, for instance." Lily added.

"I'd fight for you." James smiled flirtatiously at an unfazed Lily.

"Aww!" Penny and Sirius cooed.

"Sure." Lily shrugged off James' arm that had tried to snake its way across her shoulders. The fact that she was sitting next to him was a miracle in it of itself. She'd been a little lonely lately, and he was the only person who seemed to want her attention. Her best friend Severus had betrayed her last year, and since then, she had been feeling a little alone. Being the brightest witch with the highest OWLs didn't guarantee having extra friends.

Penny stood up and reached for the luggage rack above her head. She strained and tried to pull her trunk towards her but it was difficult for her to reach.

"Need some help, shorty?" Sirius stood up behind her.

Penny slouched down. "Yes."

Sirius reached and pulled down her trunk for her and set it on the ground. He flipped the latch and pulled it open. "Let's see what's in Penny's…"

"No!" Penny slammed her foot on top of her trunk to hurry and close it. Unfortunately, Sirius's finger was already in the trunk and had gotten slammed.

"Shit, Penny!"

"Merlin!" Penny hurriedly reached and held Sirius' finger in her hands. "Sirius, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…"

"Watch it, will you, Penny?" Sirius said defensively.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know that…" Penny stuttered.

"It's fine, love." Sirius apologized, "It's not broken."

"You okay, Sirius?" Remus asked shocked.

"It's fine." Sirius said. "Now I know that Penny has serious privacy issues."

"Do not! I just didn't want you going through my stuff."

James sighed. "Looks like we're going to have to cancel that knickers raid, Sirius."

"Potter!" Lily shrieked as everyone laughed at James.

"It's ok, James," Sirius continued, "we'll just have to find someone else." He winked at Lily.

Lily jumped up. "No!" she threatened James. She turned to Sirius, "No!"

Penny laughed at Lily's fear as she knelt down and reached into her trunk. She made sure to only open it a few inches.

"What do you need, anyway, Penny?" Remus asked.

"I was going to go find Taylor and Amelia. I haven't seen them in a while."

"Oh, I see." Peter teased. "You're 'other' friends."

"That's right." Penny confirmed.

"Right, but what do you need in your trunk?" James asked.

Penny stood up and closed her trunk. She was holding a small bag. "I'm still hungry, and I knew that if I left my food with you lot I'd never see it again." She pushed her remaining food off of her seat and into the bag.

"Smart." Remus said.

"So you are a Ravenclaw, after all." Sirius pondered.

"Shut it." Penny smacked Sirius with her bag. Being a Ravenclaw wasn't something that she liked to talk about often. It was a complicated situation for her.

"Oi, you can't hit someone you've just injured." Sirius whined and held up his hand. "I think it's broken."

"You twat." Penny smiled and kissed Sirius. She walked out of the compartment and then peaked her head back in. "Sirius, love…"

"I'll put your trunk back up, shorty." Sirius sighed.

"Thanks." Penny slid the door closed and wandered down the hallway, looking for her best friends Taylor Parish and Amelia Cooper, both Gryffindors. She didn't have anything against Ravenclaws, it was more of what they generally thought of her. It was very possible that she was the lowest scores on her OWLs out of the entire school, next to Sirius, of course, but most definitely out of the Ravenclaws. If they didn't win the House Cup, it was most likely Penny's fault. She simply wasn't Ravenclaw material and that was a fact. She didn't belong with her house.

At last, she spotted a compartment on the train that had to be the one and only Taylor Parish's. There was a scent of roses emitting from behind the semitransparent door and a piece of pink fabric was sticking out from underneath. Penny saw Taylor's long blonde curls falling neatly down her back through the door. She slid open the door and was greated by a squeal.

"Penny!" Taylor hugged her, bouncing up and down.

Amelia waved from her seat. "Hey, Penny. How was your summer?"

Penny and sat down. "Normal. Nothing really special. How about you lot?"

"Taylor got accepted into some muggle program. What is it that you called it?" Amelia asked.

"It's a film program." Taylor explained. "Have you heard of that?"

Penny shook her head.

"Well whatever. It's basically my dream! And I got accepted!" Taylor bounced in her seat, beaming with excitement.

"That's great, Taylor!" she was happy for her friend. At least one of them knew what they wanted to do with their lives.

"And I was thinking about going into a healer program next summer at St. Mungo's." Amelia added.

Make that two of them.

"I didn't know that you wanted to go into that." Taylor said interested.

"Well, my dad's a healer, so I guess it just sort of…"

"Fell into place?" Penny asked.

"Basically, yeah." Amelia said. "What about you, Penny. Have you thought about it yet? What you're going to do after Hogwarts."

Of course Penny had thought about it. She'd thought about it practically everyday for the past few years. The problem was that she still had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. Truthfully, her future scared her to death. She had no plans whatsoever.

"Nah." Penny answered nonchalantly. "I've got time."

"Are you sure?" Taylor pressed, "It's our seventh year, and we've got to…" Taylor suddenly stopped and grabbed Amelia and Penny's hands. She gazed eagerly at her friends. "Merlin, it's our seventh year!"

"It is, Taylor." Penny said slowly, "Congratulations."

Taylor frowned at her friend's skepticism. "You're supposed to be excited, Penny. This is exciting! It's our last year at Hogwarts."

"Now, that," Penny leaned back, "is something to be excited for."

Amelia rolled her eyes and smiled at her friends' polar opposite personality traits. They'd all grown so much since their First Year, but two things would never change: Taylor's rose colored glasses and Penny's realism. Amelia forever sat somewhere in between. But their strange trio had somehow stayed together since their Third Year.

"By the way," Penny bent down and picked up the pink fabric off the ground, "what's with the clothes on the ground?" Taylor's room was always neat and clean. It was unlike her to make a mess.

"Oh!" Taylor grabbed her shirt from Penny's hand. "That's my new shirt! Look…" Taylor bent to the side and began to dig through her trunk.

Amelia said "Her mom took her on a Goodbye To Hogwarts shopping spree."

"Ah." Penny understood.

Taylor held up a stack of neatly folded clothes and plopped them on her lap. She held up a black leather jacket with several zippers on the front.

"Ooh." Penny reached forward for the jacket, suddenly interested. "I like that."

"Isn't it cute?" Taylor agreed, "It's a new muggle style. Well, it's not exactly in yet, but it will be."

"Show her the purple shirt." Amelia encouraged.

"Oh, yeah!" Taylor searched in her clothes and held up a long-sleeve shirt with several shades of purple scattered across it. The cuffs and collar were long and pointed.

"Oh, I like that!" Penny said.

"That one's my favorite." Amelia agreed.

"The pattern's called 'paisley'." Taylor explained, "It's the biggest thing in muggle fashion right now, and I'm in love with it! Bright colors are coming next. Just wait."

"You and your muggle fashion." Penny sighed, smiling.

"What?" Taylor asked innocently, "Muggle fashion is way better than wizards'. Their clothes are so… unflattering."

"Oi, that's my entire wardrobe you're talking about." Penny defended herself.

"Sorry." Taylor laughed. Sometimes she spoke before she thought.

The three girls stood up as the train began to stop and blew its whistle. They were at last almost to school.

"I'll see you at school." Penny told her friends as she walked out their compartment. "I have to go get my trunk out of The Marauders' compartment."

"Seriously?" Taylor asked, "You're referring to them as 'The Marauders' now?"

"What?" Penny asked, "James came up with the name."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "You two kids have fun," she said, referring to Penny and Sirius.

"We will." Penny smirked and closed the door.


	2. AN

Hey, everyone! So I posted the last chapter as a way to sort of write my ideas down and get a feel for the characters. So don't think of that chapter as an actual chapter. More of an introduction to my story, or a sneak preview type thing. I'm doing this because I've decided to go much more into the characters and the plot line. So, since I've decided to invest more into it, you probably won't be getting a new chapter until NEXT Saturday the 6th. Also, A/Ns like this really bother me usually, because it makes me think that there's a new chapter up, and then bang, false alarm. So I promise not to do anymore of these. I just felt that I had to explain for the rest of the story if there are any inconsistencies in regards to the first chapter (for instance, the color of Sirius's eyes are now grey, not brown). Little stuff like that. Or minor personality traits. Nothing too major. But I trust that y'all will be able to catch on. Alright, I promise to post as soon as I can. See ya soon!


	3. Welcome Back!

**A/N: Hey, everyone! So sorry for the delay. But it was well worth it! For the first time, I have the entire storyline and plot all planned out and written on paper, and is extremely based on canon events. So if you want some spoilers, go read the Harry Potter Wiki, where I got all of my information from. Also, since I've done so much research after I wrote Chapter 1, there will be a few changes. So don't acknowledge Chapter 1 as technically part of this story. Just take it as a sort of preview of sorts. And now, the story starts!**

Penny filed in with the rest of the students into the Great Hall. The Ravenclaw students walked habitually to their own table, the Slytherins to theirs, the Hufflepuff's to their own, and the Gryffindors lead Penny and the Marauders to the table on the left. Penny's blue adorned robes clashed to the surrounding scarlet ones, but this was considered normal now. She had practically become one of the infamous Marauders and was welcomed with open arms to the House of Gryffindor.

Penny held hands with her boyfriend to make sure that they were not separated in the crowd of hungry teenagers. It would be considered a sin for the Marauders to not sit together during the first feast of the Hogwarts school year. James was next to Remus, who was next to Peter. Across would sit Penny and Sirius. It was simply a traditional fact.

Sirius pulled Penny along to sit next to him as he found an empty space for his friends to occupy. Sirius sat down and made room for her. "Finally!" Sirius smiled. "I swear, that crowd gets more hectic every year." He ran his hands through his black hair, which had lately began to almost reach the middle of his neck it was so long.

"No," Remus said, "you just get more impatient every year."

"That's true." Penny agreed.

"I am not impatient." Sirius looked at his friends' skeptical faces. "What?"

"Please," James argued, "does the end of last year's Defense exam not ring a bell?"

"Well I'm sorry my bladder had to piss." Sirius defended.

"You had to pee, is that it?" Penny laughed. "I heard that you knocked your desk down and ran out the room mid-exam."

"I," Sirius frowned, "I did not knock my desk down."

"Yes you did." James said.

Penny laughed. "Mate, you couldn't hold it?"

"I had to…" Sirius said frantically, "you know what? We don't need to discuss my bladder problems."

"Shh." Peter was motioning Sirius to quiet down. The group looked up at Dumbledore as began to quiet down the Great Hall. He seemed to be glancing sideways at Sirius as he began to speak.

"Do you think he heard that?" Sirius asked quietly.

Dumbledore smiled slightly as he spoke.

"Bullocks." Sirius said.

Dumbledore had only been the headmaster at Hogwarts for a few years, but he'd already earned the reputation of the eyes and ears of the school. If there was one person who you didn't want to mess with, it was Dumbledore.

On the other hand, he was the person you wanted to go for if you were short on lemon drops or wanted someone with an extensive chocolate frog card collection. Dumbledore's white beard that fell to his upper torso gave the muggleborns an illusion of Father Christmas or Merlin from a Sword in the Stone tale. His sparkling, often purple robes, gave other a reminder of an estranged uncle whom you could trust.

Penny moved her long black hair to her left and watched as the large wooden doors to the Great Hall began to slowly open as several 10 and 11 year olds stumbled through the doors. This was an event often commentated on by The Marauders. Otherwise, it'd fry their brains from boredom. Remus was the only one who was truly interested in the ceremony; or the only one who acted like it, anyway.

"They're so tiny!" Penny said excitedly.

"Like you." Sirius smiled and wrapped his arm around Penny's shoulders.

"Shut up." Penny rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's insult. This was their form of flirting. Penny noticed a blonde Ravenclaw across the room roll her eyes at Sirius. She'd probably been gazing and drooling over him until then.

The sorting ceremony passed as it did every year. The Gryffindor table was louder than the other tables, except when the Slytherins wanted to brag about a particular pureblood with a legacy. The Ravenclaws' celebrations were short but solid, and the Hufflepuffs' were warmer and a little more high-pitch than the other tables'.

"Have you ever thought about how insanely embarrassing this is for the poor children?" Penny asked.

"It's not _embarassing._ " Remus argued thoughtfully. "Just a little… awkward as they're thrust into the spotlight and stared at by the entire school on their first day individually."

"Not to mention their entire future reputation is on line." James added.

"For instance," Sirius sat up, "see that entire table over there?"

"The Slytherins?" Penny asked, pointing out the obvious.

"They're all dickheads. Even the first years." Sirius said confidently.

"Not all of them can be, eh?" Peter asked.

"Have you met my family?" Sirius asked.

"No."

"Be thankful you haven't."

"Sirius," Remus jumped in, "listen to this." Remus was gazing intently at Dumbledore. James had turned to focus his full attention to the Headmaster too, which was unusual for him. His Head Boy badge glinted under the floating candlelight as he did so.

"As some of you may have heard," Dumbledore spoke softly, "despite the extensive secrecy precautions that have been in the works for several years, Hogwarts has a very special event this year." A few students started to mumble.

"Extra lemon drops at the feast?" Sirius joked.

"No," James said, "it's better."

"I have the rare opportunity and honor to announce that this year," Dumbledore extended his arms forward, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will once again be hosting the exciting and thrilling Triwizard Tournament!"

The Great Hall erupted into students' shouts of excitement and confusion. The teachers' table seemed mixed with amusement and concern.

"The hell did he just say?" Penny asked.

"The Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore began to explain, "may seem like complete gibberish to some of you. So, to rid you of any further confusion and ignorance, I am going to provide you with a brief history lesson."

A few students groaned in the distance.

"That's so rude!" Penny heard Lily say shrilly down the Gryffindor table.

"Do not fret," Dumbledore explained, "I assure you that I will not be long. Oh!" Dumbledore raised his wand. "I've almost forgotten." He waved his wand slowly and dramatically as the food appeared on the tables. The students groaned and cheered in approval.

"Excellent." Penny smiled and began to pile on her favorite foods onto her plate.

Dumbledore waited until the initial chatter died down again so that he could speak. "The Twiwizard Tournament was founded in the year 1294 in order to bring together magical schools from around the world together in a series of three games or competitions in which three students, one from each school, will compete against each other in order to bring home to their own school The Triwizard Cup."

"That's a mouthful." James muttered.

"Which ever student wins the tournament and gains the Cup will also bring eternal glory to their family and to their school. Along with a small prize of money for themselves."

"'Eternal glory', James, did you hear that?" Sirius mocked quietly.

"Each task," Dumbledore continued, "will be judged unbiasedly by the Headmaster or Headmistress of each school on the competitors' magical ability, courage, and resourcefulness. The students of the two other schools who have traveled here will be staying within the castle and will be, of course, treated with the utmost respect and welcoming smiles." Dumbledore smiled as an example. "They will be arriving on October the 30th. The 12 students from the excellent Japanese Mahoutokoro and from Brazil, Castelobruxo, will be staying throughout the many rooms of the castle and will be attending classes with and dining with respectively the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors."

"Did he say Mahoutokoro?" Remus leaned in, concern written on his face.

"Yeah, I think so." Penny said, moving around some food on her plate. She decided to take a swig of Pumpkin Juice instead.

"Damn." Remus said disappointed.

"What?" Peter asked.

"They'll be hard to beat." Remus explained to his friends. "They're _really good_ in practically every subject." He bit into a piece of bread.

"They're Quidditch masters too." James agreed. "Hopefully there won't be any tasks that include flying."

"Sounds like we're fucked." Sirius said.

"Nah." Penny swallowed a large bite of a treacle tart. "I could totally take them."

"Seriously?" Sirius asked, eyeing Penny. "No offense or anything, but you got the least O.W.L.s out of any of us."

"That just because I don't try." Penny pointed out, shoving the last bite of her tart into Sirius' mouth. "I mean c'mon. How hard can the tasks be? 'Courage', 'resourcefulness', and… What was the last one?"

"'Magical ability'." Remus said.

"Right, that." Penny said.

"Penny, I don't know," Remus said, "there's a reason why the Tournament hasn't been held since 1792."

"And why is that?"

"Two of the competitors died."

"What?" Penny asked incredulously. "Why the hell would Dumbledore let something that kills students come to his own school?"

"Excuse me," James asked politely, "are you familiar with the wonderful man Albus, who is in charge of a school that has an actual 'Forbidden Forest' on the grounds that is home to extremely dangerous creatures, along with a lake with a giant, man-eating squid? Did I mention that 10 year olds go here?"

"True." Penny agreed.

"I still find it hard to believe that The Ministry would allow that." Peter said.

"They've taken extra precautions this year, since this is the first time in almost 200 years." James explained.

"And how do you know that?" Sirius asked his best friend.

"They told us on the train," James explained, "all the Prefects and the Headboy and Girl."

"And you didn't tell me," Sirius accused, "that an insanely dangerous, exciting, 'eternal glory' bringing competition is coming?"

"They made me not tell anyone!" James defended himself.

"Since when do you do what anyone tells you to do?" Penny asked.

"They threatened us with Veritaserum! I've heard that it's disgusting."

"Can they do that?" Sirius asked as he took a sip from his goblet. "Threaten students with a truth potion?"

"They can do whatever they want." Remus said as he took a sip from his own goblet. "The Triwizard Tournament is highly encouraged and managed by The Ministry. It's their way of promoting wordly peace by uniting international wizarding cultures."

"All while putting students at risk of death." Penny confirmed.

"Exactly."

The feast passed with only a kiss or two between Sirius and Penny, but had flown by as many calories were consumed. The muggle food that Penny's father Walter attempted to cook for her and her brother Van was already subpar, but compared to the House Elves' cooking, it was absolute rubbish. It certainly gave Penny an appreciation for good food.

Once the group was altogether finished with their share of the infinite food, they left the hall together and separated at the passage way that lead to the Ravenclaw Tower, away from the Gryffindor Tower. Penny's spirit faltered as she tiredly made her way to the room that she tried to avoid. If only she could move her bed from her room and keep all of her belongings in another chest of drawers… But that was one thing that she knew Dumbledore would not allow.

The stone steps that Penny wandered up made her purple Chucks echo. Her dad, a muggle, had taken her shopping for them. She hadn't really been interested, but they seemed to make him happy, so she'd agreed to wear them. Her hair was down, too, because he'd insisted. She'd much rather have her hair tied up in a ponytail for her personal ease, but her dad loved to see her her hair down. He said that it made her look much more feminine and pretty.

At last, Penny reached the portrait to the common room. This was not the time for a riddle, but there was no avoiding the riddle from the eagle-shaped door knocker on the keyless door. It began to speak when Penny approached it.

"You can see nothing else. When you look in my face, I will look you in the eye and I will never lie. Who, or what, am I?"

Penny rolled her eyes. "I don't know, your 'one true love'?"

"Wrong." The eagle shaped knocker always spoke simply. "I am your reflection."

"Wait." Penny shifted her weight and squinted. "That's not true. You can't be my reflection."

"Why not?"

"You said that you would never lie, implying that you cannot lie to yourself. Everyone knows that that's not true." The door swung open and Penny walked through impatiently. "Bout time."

The Ravenclaw Common Room was as it will always be. Neat. Tidy. Draped in silver and blue fabric that was tucked in tightly without wrinkles. In one of the wooden and blue satin chairs sat Josie Orleans. Her perfect platinum hair fell down her delicate shoulders in a neat pattern. Her Ravenclaw robes were smooth and new pressed. Perhaps brand new. Josie turned to look as Penny as she walked in.

Penny thought to herself, 'Let's get this over with.'

"Penny." Josie said softly as she slowly walked over to one of her roommates. "Listen, I just wanted to tell you, that I want to…"

"To what?" Penny crossed her arms. This was going to be good.

"I want you to forgive me."

"What?"

"I'm really sorry about everything that we've been through. I want to start new for our last year, and leave on good terms."

This was certainly something that Penny had never expected from the beautiful bitchy Josie. She'd spent years hating her, and now was suddenly the time for forgiveness? Penny didn't know what to say.

"Oh, um…"

"Well," Josie asked, "what is it?"

"I'll… I'll think about it." Penny turned to walk towards the room, still dumbfounded by Josie' s sudden apology. She stopped when she heard Josie sigh.

"You see?" Josie stepped towards Penny. "This is why I've never offered to forgive you before."

"Excuse me?" Penny asked shocked, even though she should have expected this from Josie. "You want _me_ to forgive _you_?"

"You have absolutely no care for anyone but yourself, except for those Gryffindors you call friends!"

Penny squared her shoulders and placed her hand on her wand.

"You're the reason that Ravenclaw hasn't won The House Cup in five years, and you don't even give a damn! Here I am, trying to forgive you for only caring about yourself, and you say ' _I'll think about it_ '?"

Penny whipped out her wand and jabbed the front of Josie's neck with it. She positioned her feet apart and focused her attention on Josie's muscle movements to make sure that she didn't retaliate. "Now you listen here, you whiney bitch. I've tried to be patient with you, Katharine and Madison. You three have no clue what I've been through, and you have no right to think that you do." Penny lowered her wand and glared at Josie's stone cold glare. "Also, if you ever insult my friends again…" Penny flicked her wand at Josie and whispered a spell. Arrows shot out of her wand and knicked Josie's cheeks. The stray arrows stuck into the wall behind her and vibrated from the force. "I'll have better aim."

Josie stormed after Penny as the black hair girl turned her back on her. "Is that a threat, Rider?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Penny stopped on a stair for a moment. "And it looks like it won't be the last. G'night, Orleans!"


	4. It's Too Early For This

**A/N: Wooh! Sorry, y'all. I don't know if this is me just being hard on myself, but I just reread through the last chapter and some parts were a little rough! I'll be sure to edit more carefully next time. Also, thank y'all soooo much for the reviews! Y'all have no idea how much those little words and follows and favorites mean to me. Seriously! Thanks! Also, is the story moving to slowly? Like is there too much description/dialogue, not enough happening? Or is it too early to tell? Feel free to leave your complaints and compliments! Also, I got a new job like a month ago, and then quit, plus school is hammering, etc… I blame that for my absence. But do not fret! I can't get this story out of my head.**

Mornings were by far not Penny's favorite time of day. She was never completely awake until she had at least a goblet or two of Hogwarts' strongest tea, half a breakfast, and an interesting conversation to wake her mind.

So, the first day of classes were no different. Penny woke up with a particularly excessive amount of pain in her back, though she couldn't recall why. After about 10 minutes of pondering why he was in pain, she slowly stepped out of her bed and looked around her dorm.

Josie, Katharine, and Madison were already out of their dorm, much to Penny's delight. Penny also inferred that they had already made it to the Great Hall, based upon the tidiness of their dorm. Being the mess-making, unorganized person that Penny was, she knew very well how incredibly particular her three roommates were about the organization of everything, especially their room. Unless fire was raining from the sky, Josie, Katharine, and Madison would never leave a room without making sure that every Ravenclaw blue tapestry was straight and every bottle of enchanted perfume was returned to its proper place.

Speaking of which, Penny's room smelt of a strange scent this morning. Was it lavender? It reminded her of an accident that James and she had caused one year in Potions class.

Deliberately not giving a damn about her roommates' need to have everything tidy and clean, Penny threw off her pajama shirt and bent down, flipping open her trunk to find a shirt to wear under her Hogwarts robes. Eventually, she decided to wear a light purple t-shirt that had the name of a singer who her mom used to listen to. Penny glanced down at her plaid pajama pants, and decided that they were too comfortable to take off. So she picked up her robes that she'd thrown on the side of her bed and slid them on.

A quick toothbrushing, hair and bag check, and she was on her way down the stairs. Penny looked at her simple silver watch on her left wrist and figured that she had a good 20 minutes until classes started. Just enough time to eat a little, grab her schedule, and make it to her first class. Hopefully, the class wasn't completely across the campus. She'd might have to run, and that was _not_ going to happen.

Penny rested her hand on her back as she walked into the Great Hall. She looked around and found her friends sitting together at the beginning of the table. She readjusted her bag that held her books and wand and walked over to them. Remus was the first one to notice her walk over.

"You ok, Penny?" Remus asked. He scooted over to make room for her between him and James. Lily, Sirius and Peter sat across from them.

"Yeah." Penny groaned and swung her leg over the bench to sit down. She flung her bag underneath her seat and then leaned her elbows on the table in front of her to get comfortable. "I just woke up with a bad back pain."

"You're getting old." James warned.

"I am not _old_." Penny said. "I'm just… older than any of you."

"You're old."

"Fuck you." Penny sighed. "It's too early for this." Penny scanned the table for her tea. "Where's my…"

"Here you go." Remus handed her a large goblet filled to the top with her favorite tea.

"Oh, thank you, dear friend." Penny took the goblet gratefully and took a large gulp. "You see, Sirius? This is what boyfriends are supposed to do."

"Do what?" Sirius asked.

"Get their girlfriends food and stuff."

"I wasn't aware that I was being a bad boyfriend."

"Not usually, no." Penny took another sip and then put an arm around Remus' shoulders. "But as I walked in this morning, Remus was the one who noticed that I was in pain, and then also gave me my goblet of delicious caffeinated tea." She let her arm fall and took another sip. "Whatever flavor this glorious leaf water is."

"'Glorious leaf water'." Remus and Lily laughed.

"But Penny," Sirius leaned forward, "you always look like that in the morning."

James laughed as Penny threw a few pieces of some sort of food at Sirius' face.

"Careful, Sirius," Lily warned and smiled, "you might have some competition this year."

"With Moony over here?" Sirius pointed his thumb at Remus. "Fat chance," he laughed.

"Oi." Remus said.

"Now, now," Penny said slowly as she piled some food onto her plate, "Just because you're hot, Sirius, and I'm as loyal as a Hufflepuff, does not mean that Remus looks like a troll, and that he doesn't have a chance with me…"

"Ok, ok," Sirius waved his hands around as his friends burst into laughter, "you know what? No. We're not having this conversation."

"Whatever you say, love." Penny smiled to Sirius as she took her last bite of food. "Now, what classes do we have first?"

Eventually, everyone's class schedules were shared and their stomaches filled, and the group of friends went their separate ways to their first classes. Sirius and Penny stuck together, however, seeing as how they shared Transfiguration together first. The walk there was relatively silent until Sirius spoke.

"So, Penny…" he began vaguely.

"Yeah?" Penny was a little concerned about what came next.

"I, uh…"

"Sirius, love," she faced him, "if this is about what Remus said…"

"What?" Sirius lied, "Of course not." They turned a corner.

"Merlin, seriously?" Sirius began to smile at the word, but Penny interrupted him. "Don't."

"Listen." Sirius stopped walking and lightly grabbed Penny's hands. "Remus is an amazing bloke, and you know he's one of my best mates. Family, really…"

Penny rolled her eyes and rested her hands on Sirius' sharp jaw line. She took a step forward to avoid the other students walking to their first class and looked into Sirius' grey eyes. They looked alot like hers. She stood on her toes and kissed her boyfriend to shut him up. She slowly slouched back down. "You're an ass sometimes, you know that right?"

Sirius frowned. "That's what you tell a guy to cheer him up."

"You know what I mean." She took his hand and led him towards their first class. "You still speak Penny, right? You didn't lose that over the summer?"

"How could I?" Sirius and Penny entered the classroom together. "You hardly shut up."

Penny gaped and lightly slapped Sirius' rear.

"Ms. Rider!" McGonagall shrieked from a few desks ahead of them. Her face was one of extreme disapproval and regret.

"Sorry, McGonagall." Penny tried not to smile as she and Sirius sat at two desks to the left.

"For the last time, Ms. Rider, it's _Professor_ McGonagall."

This was how the remainder of Sirius and Penny's Transfiguration class passed. Disapproving glares from McGonagall and hidden smiles and laughter from Sirius and the other students. The three Ravenclaws in the class were not in this category, as usual. They were on McGonagall's side.

After McGonagall had finished explaining the differences in the make up of all transfiguring spells that had to do with fire, the class was dismissed. Except for Penny.

"Ms. Rider, can I see you for a moment, please?"

"Good luck." Sirius whispered to Penny as he slipped out of the classroom with the rest of the students.

McGonagall was writing something on a scroll with a purple quill. She made a last few scribbles and then slowly stood up and peered down at Penny from behind her desk. "Ms. Rider." McGonagall walked around her desk and stood tall, now in front of Penny. Her face held a look that Penny wasn't expecting. It seemed disappointed, but not like the kind that she usually showed. This was more of a saddened disappointment than an annoyed one.

Penny waited for her professor to continue.

"As you know, as part of being Deputy Headmistress, I have to make sure that each and every student is headed on the right path for themselves, and that they remain on this path. And as you remember, at the end of your 5th year, you had not yet chosen a career path…"

"No, Professor," Penny interrupted tiredly, "I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I'm not even _18_ yet."

"But you almost are," McGonagall reminded her. She then hesitated. "Have you at least decided whether or not to…"

"To live in the muggle or the wizard world?" Penny hated when people asked her that. Just because people knew her back story about her possessive muggle dad and her dead witch mother didn't mean that people could ask her which lifestyle she was going to abandon. "No, I haven't." Penny had grown impatient and was ready to leave.

"Ok," McGonagall said finally. "Ms. Rider, just remember…"

"Yeah, I know Professor." If only Penny had a galleon for every time a teacher had said that they were always there to talk to her if she needed to. The Bullshit Pity Line, she'd begun to call it. Penny turned and walked away, slinging her bag sloppily over her shoulder.

"Ms. Rider, wait." McGonagall called sternly.

Penny slowly turned around and looked tiredly up at her professor. McGonagall seemed to be holding a sheet of parchment, neatly folding it in her lap. Her fingers traced the creases repeatedly.

McGonagall slowly walked towards Penny. "Have you thought about going into a career…"

"Professor…"

"Hear me out, Ms. Rider."

Penny was willing to see what was making McGonagall so nervous.

McGonagall was going to continue what she was saying, but then changed her mind. "Have you thought about possibly joining the Quidditch team?"

Penny squinted her eyes at the unexpected question. "Um, first of all, Professor, I am about the most unsporty person in the school, and most certainly would injure myself and the entire team within one try of flying a broom." Penny crossed her arms. "And aren't you like, Gryffindor's number one Quidditch fan, anyway?"

McGonagall smiled a bit. "Of course I am. And I wasn't talking about being on the pitch as part of the team."

"Oh?"

"As you know, the recent model of brooms that the school has invested in for those who cannot afford their own broom is not a very… quality model. This years' model is much faster, but much less stable than last years'. A bad investment on Hogwarts' part."

Penny was lost.

"What the school needs, is a broom repair girl."

So she wanted Penny to sit around and fix broken and sweaty brooms that the players had used and abused? Oh Merlin… she was going to be a roadie. For Ravenclaws, none the less. "Um. Yeah. Professor? Listen…"

"It's not what you think it is," McGonagall explained, "I promise that it's very interesting work…"

"Thanks, Professor," Penny hesitantly smiled to be polite, "but I don't really think that it sounds like my kind of thing…"

"Just," she held out the parchment, "look into this book. Madam Pince will help you locate it in the library. Quidditch starts in November, so you have some time to decide."

Penny slowly held the parchment and slid it into her pocket. "And let me guess. You'll be here if I want to talk about it?"

McGonagall simply smiled. "I really suggest the chapter on woods. They each have their own individual personality."

Something about this book seemed promising to Penny, even if she didn't hold the least bit of interest in broom making. It was something about how persistent McGonagall. She wasn't like she usually was when she forced Penny to participate in detentions, or when she was quieting her and Sirius. This was a different McGonagall than she'd seen in the past 7 years. Less strict and more encouraging. This book must really be important to her.

"Thanks," Penny said a bit more sincerely, "I'll get Remus to help be find it."

"Good," McGonagall had finally won. "I'm sure he'd have no trouble at all helping you find this book. There are a fairly substantial amount of copies on the shelves."

Later that day at dinner, Penny debated whether or not to find the book that McGonagall had recommend. And now that she thought about it as she swallowed another scoop of soup, she couldn't recall the last time a professor had reached out to her like that. Penny reached down and pulled out the folded piece of parchment. She moved her goblet to the left and flattened out the creases. The parchment read _The Magic of Brooms, Wands, and Their Properties. By Dudley Berkeley._

Lily spotted the parchment that Penny was reading next to her. She let go of James' hand and reached for the paper. "Oh, that book is dreadful! I had to read that for an Advanced Charms Essay that Stronghold had me do for extra credit."

"Is it really?" Penny whined. "I'm not getting it then."

"Wait," James interrupted, "I'm sorry. Did you just say that you needed extra credit?"

"I needed the extra points," Lily shrugged, "Josie Orleans had the highest average in class."

"Ugh," Penny groaned, "That bitch. Do you know what she told me yesterday?" Penny took a sip of her tea and prepared herself for one of her complaining rants. She knew that her friends didn't want to hear her complain about her Ravenclaw drama, but what else were friends for but to complain to about your bitchy roommates?

"What did she say?" Peter propped his head on his hands, possibly interested.

"So I walk into the Common Room last night, right? Just minding my own business. When all of a sudden Josie walks up to me and apologizes…"

"Wait wait wait," James said, "she _apologized_?"

"Yes!" Penny was glad that someone agreed with how insane the concept was.

"Remus, man," James sighed, "bet's off that Josie Orleans is really an emotionless bitchy vampire whose only weakness is apologizing." Remus rolled his eyes.

"Shut it," Penny begged, "Anyway. So I walk into the Common Room, and then she apologizes. For like, everything.

"Well isn't that a good thing?" Lily asked.

"Well, I mean I guess," Penny paused, "but then when I didn't really respond, just kinda said like 'Ok', then she went on all about how I should be the one forgiving her, and how it's all my fault or something, and…" Penny groaned.

"Now," Remus hesitated and shifted forward across the table, "just because it's been a long summer, would you be so kind as to remind us all why we hate Josie Orleans?"

"She's a bitch." Penny said simply.

"Have you not been here the last 7 years?" Lily asked.

"Freshman year," Penny stuck out a finger, "she told Smeortan that I cheated on her exam."

"Well did you?" Peter asked.

"Only the last section…"

"Penny!" Lily gasped angrily.

"Yeah, but Josie Orleans cheated on the entire exam! She only told on me because she saw that I saw her cheating. She just got lucky that I was cheating too," Penny said confidently. "And then just in general from there out. Josie Orleans, Katharine Lane, and Madison James are just in general evil to me, along with the rest of the Ravenclaws."

"In their defense," Sirius said slowly, "you do cost them a hell of a lot of house points."

"Who the fuck cares about house points?" Penny's voice raised slightly. "Sirius, let me ask you this:…"

"Ok."

"If you were sorted into Slytherin, would you worry about earning house points?"

"Fuck no."

"Exactly," Penny said. "Because you despise their asses. Ravenclaw is to me what Slytherin is to you. They've treated me like shit ever since Josie Orleans gave me up for cheating. Just because I'd rather spend time with my friends instead of reading a damn book all day doesn't make it ok for them to treat me like that."

"Cheers to that." James said, raising his goblet.

Lily leaned forward and spoke firmly. "Penny, they don't know you and have no right to treat you like that. You prioritize your life, and there's nothing wrong with putting friends first. Now, you know that I'm always for trying harder in school and striving for better grades…"

"Here here," Remus toasted.

"But they don't know you, or your history. You can't let them get to you like you do. You can't give them that power." Lily finished.

James whispered in Lily's ear only for her to hear so that she would blush. "That was hot."

Sirius raised his goblet, focusing his grey eyes on Penny's. "Here's to tragic backstories and hope for a better future."

"Here here." The Marauders clanked their goblets together and took large gulps.


	5. Hot Dog!

**A/N: I just thought that you all should know that pretty much every event that happens in this fanfic is completely canon. I went through the Harry Potter Wiki and wrote out the timeline for this fic, so all of the major plot lines are completely accurate. Except for the Triwizard Tournament and Penny, of course. So right about now, start expecting things to start happening in the story! Here comes the beginning of the adventure.**

For the rest of the week, Josie Orleans, Katharine Lane and Madison James avoided Penny like the plague. Monkey see, monkey do. Penny had somehow offended Josie Orleans, which in turn offended her entire group of friends. Not that Penny minded. All it meant was that it was advised that she stay out later in the Gryffindor Common Room so that she wouldn't be in her own dorm while her roommates were still awake. She'd have to wait for them to fall asleep so that she would be able to enter without any confrontation.

The Gryffindor Common Room was where all of her friends spent a majority of their time at Hogwarts. James and Lily usually took to the couch with Sirius butting in wherever he wished. Remus and Peter sat in red suede arm chairs across from their friends. And whenever Penny was in the picture, so were her friends Taylor and Amelia. The three girls would alternate sitting on Remus' chair's arm, an arm on the couch, or on the ground pressed up against the couch.

"Hey, Taylor," Sirius said slyly. He had a certain devious look in his eye that Penny noticed.

"Sirius, be careful, love," Penny threatened.

"Oh, Merlin, what?" Taylor asked, scared for her wellbeing. She was often the target of The Marauders' jokes because she was the "blonde and pretty one".

"Sirius, no," Remus said sternly.

"I'm on Sirius' side for this one," James said simply.

"You're always on Sirius' side," Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oi!" Sirius whined. "I haven't even told her what I was going to, yet."

"Yeah," Amelia agreed, "but we know you." Amelia was often the only one to stick up for Taylor's dignity.

"And what does that mean?" Sirius asked.

"It means," Penny explained, "that your opened ended statement of 'Hey, Taylor' could end possibly anywhere that your expansive imagination desires."

"Especially with that tone that you used," Taylor said.

"What tone?" Sirius asked innocently.

"And that look that you had in your eyes," Remus said.

"Oh, Remus, dear," Sirius said sweetly, "thank you for noticing my eyes."

"Well now I'm just curious what you were going to say, Sirius," James said.

" _Thank you,_ James," Sirius said. The group waited for Sirius to continue. He leaned down and reached into his pocket, pulling out a paper bag. Inside was something long, red, and covered in bread.

"The fuck is that?" Penny asked.

"It's a 'hot dog'," Sirius said proudly. "Some traditional American food that I saw a first year eating."

"You took another man's hot dog?" James asked.

"You stole a first year's food?" Lily clarified.

"Relax," Sirius waved the hot dog, "he gave this to me. They're apparently his favorite food and he keeps a stash of them."

"Weird." Peter said.

"What's this have to do with me?" Taylor asked.

"I dare you to eat it," Sirius jabbed the oblong food at her. The meat slid over the end of the bread slightly. "And plus, I want to see your reaction what you eat it. It's all… floppy." If there was anyone in the rag tag group of teenagers who was the last person to accept the dare, it was Taylor. She was a picky eater and despised trying new foods. Especially foods that could be described as "floppy". "And plus, you know that you're easy to mess with."

"It looks all red and squished," Amelia tightened her lips.

"Well it's obviously good if the first year loves them so much," Remus said.

"Yeah," Sirius added, "but the kid told me what was in them. It's disgusting." Sirius smiled and shook the hot dog slightly.

"Dude, stop," Penny begged. "It looks like a dick."

"Why would I eat it if it's disgusting?" Taylor asked repulsed. "No!"

"Aww, c'mon!" James cheered. "Try it!"

"No!" Taylor protested.

Sirius shook the hot dog again and it slid a little further out. "Eat it!"

The group of friends soon began chanting "Eat it!" collectively and drowned out Taylor's rejections of the dare. She gave one final "No!" and flung her hand as the hot dog slid out of the bun further. Her hand hit the hot dog and sent it flying across the room. The red tube of meat bent like a spring against the wall and bounced on the scarlet carpet.

"Aw," Sirius said disappointed.

The friends burst into laughter together.

"Sirius," James said, "I dare you to eat it."

"It was on the ground!" Lily reminded everyone.

"So?" Sirius asked. He walked over to the hot dog and put it back into the bun. He took one look at it, and then stuffed half of it into his mouth. Everyone groaned and whined in disgust.

"That's my boyfriend," Penny sighed.

Sirius chewed the mouthful slowly, a pensive look on his face. "Ith a bith dwy," Sirius tried to say, "He saith dat dyooh ha tuh…"

"Sirius, chew…" Remus said slowly, "then swallow." Sirius did so.

"He said that you have to put ketchup on it for it to be good."

"So was it good?" Amelia asked.

"Actually," Sirius said, "it _was_ pretty good."

"I wanna try it!" Penny scooted towards Sirius from her place against the couch. She snatched the hot dog from his hand and took a small bite from it.

"Penny!" Taylor and Lily said repulsed.

"Are you really surprised?" Amelia asked them, not bothered by Penny's lack of fear of germs.

"Merlin," Penny said, "it's actually damn good."

The grandfather clock by the fireplace finally chimed midnight and the group of friends looked up together.

"Whose turn is it to bring Penny to Ravenclaw?" Remus asked.

"I think it's mine," Lily said.

"No," Peter said, "you went last week. It's my turn."

"Peter, you went yesterday," Sirius said.

"I think it's me," Amelia said.

"Well," Penny stood up and stretched her back, "I'm extremely flattered that you lot are fighting over who gets to walk me home tonight, but we need to make a decision fast because I'm tired."

"I think it's James tonight," Lily said. She scooted a little further into James' arm. "Yeah, that makes sense. Because if I went two days ago, then that means that…"

"Yeah, that's true," Remus agreed.

"Excellent," Penny smiled. "Ready to go, James? I'm beat."

"Yeah, sure," James squeezed Lily one more time and pushed himself off of the sagging red couch. He squinted his eyes and stretched, reaching far over Penny's head. "Anybody know where the map and cloak are?" James yawned.

Sirius answered first, "I think I shoved the map under James' bed yesterday." He turned and walked up the stairs to their dorms.

"I think the cloak is here somewhere," Peter said.

"You just put the cloak 'somewhere'?" James asked shocked slightly. "Peter, that cloak is extremely rare and…"

"Relax," Peter warned, "I mean that I saw it earlier. I didn't touch it." Peter lifted himself off of his chair and walked over to a bookcase on the other side of the Common Room. "See?" Peter pulled the cloak off of the shelf and held it up for James to see. "I saw it up here earlier."

"Oh, great," James smiled and took the cloak from Peter. "Thanks, mate."

Sirius walked down the stairs and held the map out. Usually they tried to keep the cloak and map, the secrets to their mischief, more discrete from onlookers, but the few Gryffindors who were still in the Common Room were far too stressed and sleep deprived to be focused on The Marauders' antics.

"Excellent," James said as Sirius handed the map to him. Penny walked over to James and stood next to him. Remus tossed the cloak over the two friends and made sure that they were completely invisible. Penny and James' vision was now completely engulfed. James took his wand out of his back pocket and muttered "lumos". He held out the map and muttered this month's password to the map as it came to life.

Remus was already gone by this time. He had been tired for about an hour now and was usually the first one asleep. Lily had followed him to her own dorm. Taylor and Amelia were on their way to their own dorm and Peter was on his way up the boys' staircase. Sirius was still getting out of his comfortable seat on the couch.

"See you tomorrow morning, Love," Sirius said as he looked up to where he assumed his invisible friends were.

"You too, Love," James said before Penny could.

Sirius swung his foot and hoped he his James' leg.

"Ow!" James shouted.

"Good," Sirius groaned.

"C'mon, Penny," James whispered. "Let's go find that broom closet on the 5th floor again…"

"Oi!" Sirius threatened.

Penny burst into laughter at the outrageous concept. She and James smiled to each other and began to walk out of the room. She turned around and hopped into the portrait frame, leaving room for James to fit. He hopped up, groaning slightly and pushing the portrait open. The two friends tried their best to silently land on the other side of the portrait while staying hidden under the cloak. A few years of this and they'd pretty much mastered it.

James and Penny walked quietly through the dark, empty hallways of Hogwarts. The stone floors and walls made their footsteps echo but they knew that they wouldn't get caught as long as they kept a close eye on the map. It was a lot easier now to sneak Penny back to Ravenclaw past curfew than it was in their third and fourth years. On the bright side, their was a lot of bonding in detentions as a result.

James stopped walking suddenly and look down at Penny with a startled look in his eye. He pointed with his glowing wand at two sets of footsteps on the map that were only down the hallway from them. The footsteps had two names floating above them in Penny's handwriting. "Mary Macdonald" and "Roman Mulciber". It wasn't unusual to see other students out past curfew, but to see a Gryffindor and a Slytherin together was very unusual. What was concerning James was the fact that Mary's footsteps were very still and close to a wall and Roman's were in front of hers, also very close to her.

Penny noticed this and whispered, "You don't think that they're having a one night stand, do you?" She was growing more concerned by the second.

James shook his head. "You mean 'Do Good Mary' and 'Future Death Eater Mulciber'? Definitely not." James moved his wand around the map and made sure that there were no teachers around to catch them. It was then that James and Penny heard a muffled scream from Mary come from around the corner.

James and Penny took off running down the hallway, wands held out in front of them. James legs may have been much longer than Penny's, but she kept up easily with him. Penny yanked the cloak off of them and James shoved the map into his robes pocket. They bounded around the corner and saw Mulciber pressing Mary's body against the wall. They were in the middle of an intense make out session. The couple's hands were feeling around each other's bodies messily and fast. Mulciber's tall frame loomed over Mary's delicate one as they entangled each other quickly.

"Oh," James said awkwardly.

Penny noticed something, however. Mulciber's wand was constantly pointed at Mary's head. "James, his wand," she whispered to James as they took a step behind the corner.

James peered around the corner as Mulciber moaned loudly. James leaned back and looked uncomfortably at Penny. "Penny, I really don't want to be here…"

"No," Penny groaned. She grabbed James' head and forced him to look at Mulciber. "Look at his wand! He's pointing it at Mary! I think he's…"

"He's controlling her…" James said slowly. He was shocked at how much he could hate and loathe a person suddenly.

Mulciber began to move his hand upward and slide it under Mary's shirt as Penny threw the cloak onto the ground and James forgot the map. They launched themselves towards the unawares Mary and Mulciber as they shouted curses at Mulciber. The sudden violence seemed to jolt Mary back to reality as James dragged Mulciber off of her. She screamed and fell to the ground as Penny swung a kick at Mulciber's face. James continued to shout curses at Mulciber on the ground repeatedly. Unfortunately, Mulciber had a good defense. He deflected most of James' anger filled and sloppy curses.

Penny bent down and held Mary's face softly. "Are you ok?" She looked at Mary's pale and red eyes. They seemed slightly out of focus still.

"What is going on here?" a voice boomed and echoed from down the hallway. The four 7th years were suddenly yanked away from each other and pinned helplessly against the cold stone walls. A bright green light entered their vision and lit up Professor Kightsloan as he stormed in front of them.

Professor Kightsloan was a short and round young man with a very kind face. He was always there to help a student out or just hold a conversation with when he could. He was not, however, a force to be reckoned with. His close cropped red hair showed off his vein than pulsed on his forehead when he was angry, which wasn't very often.

Penny looked at one of her favorite professors's face. She could see that the vein was definitely throbbing, even in the dimly lit hallway.

Professor Kightsloan lowered his wand and let the students stand on their own. "I'm going to ask one more time," his voice slowly rose to a boom. "What is GOING ON HERE?" He placed his hands on his hips and waited for an answer.

James stepped forward, "Professor, Penny and I were going back to Ravenclaw…"

"And _why_ were you out past curfew?" Professor Kightsloan asked, clearly holding in his rage.

"Even I could guess that, Professor," Mulciber snickered.

Professor swung around to face Mulciber. "Not now, Mulciber." He turned back to face James. "What else, Potter?"

"We were just walking down here, when we heard Mary scream…"

Professor Kightsloan turned to Mary, "You screamed? Why did you scream?" Mary was clearly still not in a state to talk about what had just suddenly happened.

Mulciber spoke for her. "It wasn't a _scream_ , Potter. It was a _moan_. Haven't you ever had a girl moan for you?"

"Ok, you know what?" Professor Kightsloan interrupted loudly, "all of you, to your dorms, _now_. I will deal with each of you in the morning." He turned to walk away, but then changed his mind. "No, you know what? All of you, report to Professor Dumbledore's office first thing in the morning." He looked at them square in the eye individually. "And if every single one of you don't report there first thing in the morning, Merlin help you…" Professor Kightsloan gripped his wand and watched the four walk in separate directions. Thankfully, he didn't notice James stoop down to pick up the map nor did he notice Penny bend down to get the cloak.


	6. Penny Rider, Attorney at Law

**A/N: Ok, everyone! I'm back from the world's longest hiatus! Hopefully, I am going to continue this fic. Maybe. I have a bit of a guilt thing about writing this fic, because how dare I write _another_ fanfic when I should be writing scholarships for college, which I'm starting next year. Wooh! But since I'm bored out of my mind this summer, I decided that what better to do to spend my time then possibly finish something for once? Yay! **

**Ok, everyone. I am only going to write maybe another filler chapter, meaning one that is not plot worthy, and then I'll get to the plot. What do y'all think? c'mon, I need feedback! Seriously, y'all! I thrive on criticism and feedback! And so could Penny! And now, the story:**

Penny had been in Professor Dumbledore's office before, so to sit in her usual purple arm chair in the corner of the room was no unfamiliar scene. Her long black hair folded behind her slouching back. To her right were shelves upon shelves of books of all sizes, most probably much older than she was. To her left was a small round table that held a silver ball, floating and spinning rapidly within a small copper bowl. A small rug lay under her chair.

What was unusual about this scene was that she was not alone. James had pulled up another chair in front of the bookshelves and sat erect, ready to plea the case for his client. His brown eyes focused in on Mulciber, daring him to speak or touch Mary again. It certainly was not his first time in the office either, but this case meant something much different to Penny and James. It wasn't just another prank on McGonnagal or too many tardies to class for Penny.

Across the room stood the defendant. Mulciber leaned casually against a thick doorframe. His Slytherin robes made his shoulders even more rounded and posture more lassaize faire. His overgrown, light brown hair covered his bored eyes. It was evident that he did not want to be in Dumbledore's office, and that he would do anything to leave.

A few of the portraits of the previous headmasters whispered to each other and glanced cautiously at Mulciber. Rumor had apparently spread amoung the portraits about what had happened last night. They were the jury.

Mary was trying to preoccupy herself with a China cabinet of potions against one of the walls. There were rumors that she was a stereotype rich and "dumb blonde", and the scared and confused state that she was in didn't help her case. She didn't remember much from last night which only heightened her nerves. She was on trial for something that she herself didn't understand.

And then last, in the furthest corner of the office stood Professor Kightsloan The Witness. His eyes were out of focus as he stared at a phoenix, perched in the center of the room. His arms were folded and his body tense. He didn't know what he had seen last night, and he didn't want what he feared to be confirmed. No one dared speak. They were content with Kightsloan's silence and they didn't want to start this trial any earlier than it needed to be.

But as usual, Penny couldn't take the silence any longer. "Is Dumbledore coming?"

Professor Kightsloan sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, Ms. Rider, Professor Dumbledore is on his way. I told him that we would meet him here first thing in the morning." He was used to dealing with the Marauder's antics in class, but having a meeting in his boss's office was a different story. In fact, Kightsloan secretly enjoyed the Marauder's knack for mischief. They were often the only students awake in his class, so he took what he could from them.

Frankly, Penny and James were missing Herbology so they could wait all day for Dumbledore to arrive. Nothing ever happened in that class. Professor Smeortan loved to go on and on about all of the different kinds of endangered magical plants and creatures that she was in love with, all without somehow including one piece of useful or new piece of information. Penny could wait for him up until Arithmancy, though. She needed to bring up her grade in that class.

Mulciber whined and looked up at Kightsloan. "Can I go? I have a potions essay..."

"No," he said firmly. "We're going to wait until he..."

At that moment the door to the office opened to reveal a startled Dumbledore. His deep purple robes seemed to be a bit disheveled and his hat a tad crooked. There were bags under his eyes. He seemed confused by the sight around him as he slowly closed the door behind him. "What are you all doing here?"

Professor Kightsloan shifted his weight, flabbergasted. "I told you last night that these students were out past curfew last night, and I saw..."

"Oh, that's right," Dumbledore smiled, "don't worry, Ned. It's all been taken care of. You may all leave. I'm sorry for taking your time."

"Professor!" Penny and James interrupted. How could he just let Mulciber go? Penny wouldn't stand for it. She knew that Dumbeldore was old, and perhaps a tad old fashioned, but she'd always held a respect for him, as did a majority of the other students.

"You can't just let him go!"

"Don't you see Mary?"

"He could have seriously harmed her!"

"Sir," Kightsloan said firmly.

Dumbledore slowly raised his hand to silence them. "Trust that it is taken care of." He turned to Mulciber. "You are dismissed."

Mulciber had no arguement to that and walked out. On his way out he winked at Penny. The discrete gesture sent shivers down Penny's spine and reminded her how much she hated Death Eaters. They were slowly growing in underground popularity within the school and they scared the hell out of everyone. Especially when she thought about the fact that her boyfriend was related to them. It made them... more real and closer to her.

"Sir," Penny repeated angrily. She was not one to get angry quickly.

Dumbledore turned to Mary. "Come drop by my office around your off period. I have a book to give you."

Mary was just as confused as Kightsloan, James and Penny but, seeing as how Dumbledore's gaze had not faltered, she knew that she was dismissed. She ducked her blonde head and slowly made her way out of the office.

"He was using the Imperius Curse!" James shouted at Dumbledore, jumping out of his chair. James was quite tall so the added height gave some authority to his voice.

Kightsloan's round eyes grew in his round face as he heard what Mulciber did. "He did what?" Every year he taught at Hogwarts, the more wild the students seemed to get. Only 6 years down and the Imperius Curse was being discussed. He often worried for the next generations and what they were going to go through with the rise of Death Eaters.

Dumbledore gazed down at the three before him. His pale blue eyes twinkled with authority and sympathy. His long white beard fell like a dreamy cloud. "Trust me when I say that I know exactly what happened last night and that all is taken care of."

"But..." Penny argued.

"I have alternative sources," Dumbledore said. He walked back over to his door and opened it invitingly. He gestured down the spiral stone stairs.

Kightsloan wanted to argue on behalf of his students but knew better than to talk back to his superior. He turned and reluctantly walked down the stairs.

James and Penny did not move. They stood next to each other and communicated their bewilderment to each other with facial expressions from years of understanding each other. They chose to stay standing in Dumbledore's office until something was done for Mary. With James' infallible pride and Penny's methodical stubbornness...

"Mate, where'd he go?" James asked lamely.

Dumbledore had just been standing in his office, had he not? Now, he was nowhere to be found. James and Penny turned to each other dumbfounded and agreed with their eyes that at this point there was no other choice but to walk very slowly down to the greenhouses and start on their way to Herbology.

Penny turned and picked up her brown bag that contained her first class's books and supplies. Her mom's old dragon skin gloves and a textbook about plants that produced toxins against goblins, among other things. She rummaged though the contents as she and James made their way out of Dumbledore's office and onto the school grounds.

The mid September morning was just transitioning into pure daylight with lingering dew on the grass. The scene before the friends would have been beautiful were James and Penny not distracted by their own anger and fear.

"Death Eaters, James," Penny whispered.

James turned to face Penny as they strolled down a hill, "You know about them?" Death Eaters were still new to the world, but word traveled fast. Especially word of who was a self proclaimed Death Eater within Hogwarts. Word was that they tortured innocent people, especially muggles and muggleborns. But those were just rumors. Nobody knew for sure what they were planning, and that was what scared most people.

"Sure," Penny agreed. She stuck her hands into the pockets of her blue trimmed robes. "Sirius told me a bit about them." Her voice grew a bit quiet. She wondered if she should speak further. If James knew about Sirius' brother. Well of course he did, he was Sirius's best friend. "He's told me stories about what they're planning to do. I mean they're just rumors, you know," Penny tried to laugh off. Her shoulders hunched as she recalled a particularly gruesome story that Sirius had told her after they'd found a Slytherin's stash of Firewhiskey one night. "And I mean his source is pretty..." she hesitated.

"Reputable?" James asked, slowing down their pace.

"Yeah..."

"I just can't believe it. I mean little Regulus..." James recalled the boy's first year. The kid had gotten lost almost every class and had often found Sirius midlesson to ask for directions.

"I mean, given," Penny smiled, "he was always a little brat."

"That's true," James said.

"But you should hear the way Sirius talks about him," Penny said. "They have the epitome of a love hate relationship."

"He's his little brother," James added.

"I know," Penny agreed, "I mean, Merlin, can you imagine if Ian wanted to join the Death Eaters?"

"Perfect little Ian?" James laughed. "Mister Perfect Ravenclaw? Yeah, no chance."

"I know," Penny said, "I mean we're kinda all we have, but you know..." That was as far as Penny went with her thoughts. She'd listen to any of her friends' family problems for hours but she never wanted to share her own. Her friends were an escape from her Dad's drama, and she wanted to keep it that way. She and Sirius made enough of a basket case relationship. She wanted to keep her and James' at least somewhat normal.

James understood Penny's silence. Fortunately for him, Penny and Sirius were both very talkative drunks who usually didn't remember what they'd confessed or who they'd confessed to. James looked up and saw that they were now only a few feet from the greenhouse that Professor Smeortan taught from. To his right, Penny had already stopped walking and was digging in her bag again. She looked concerned and aggrivated, and James new why. "Did you forget your clippers again?"

"Maybe," Penny replied softly to avoid admitting that she'd forgotten her clippers for every Herbology class so far. She shrugged and let her bag fall closed at her side. "Oh well. I'll just use yours again."

"Business as usual." James slid open the humid greenhouse doors and let himself and Penny into the classroom.

Professor Smeortan stood at the front of the classroom, her wand raised over a red and yellow plant that twisted into sharp branches. She moved her wand slowly in circles around each branch, watching James and Penny enter to her left. She paid them little attention. What was important was the Quinbranched Arsodrangia in front of her. She must pay careful attention to her wand movements or else the plant may burn one of the students in front of her, each of them clad in their goggles and gloves. Despite her wisdom gained from teaching Herbology for 50 years, she was still under the impression that the classmates were as interested in the rare specimen as she was.

Penny and James found a table in the back corner and proceeded to brush dirt off of the stools so that they could sit together. Penny plopped her bag onto the dirty and damp table then slouched on the stool that was next to James. Only a few minutes had passed and Penny was already deciding whether or not to mimic Elliott Bishop, a Hufflepuff across the room's state of sleep. She'd slept fine the previous night, but Professor Smeortan's explanation of the various threats that a 5 Branch thing is sensitive to was seriously lulling Penny into a rhythmic breathing sequence, making her eyelids heavy, and her arms form a comfortable position for her head to rest on...

"Hey, Penny," James whispered.

"What, Prongs?" Penny whined into her arm. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Look."

Penny raised her head slightly and saw that Professor Smeortan had returned to her desk and was now peering over a large pile of scrolls. She was scribbling with her quill intently across each scroll, her old eyes straining to read the students' handwriting. Penny knew what this meant.

"Looks like she already gave her Advanced Herbology class an essay," James observed.

"It's a shame," Penny smiled, "looks like she'll be grading those until..."

"The end of class?" James whispered hopefully. He and Penny looked at each other.

"You wouldn't happen to have the cloak with you, would you, dear Prongs?" Penny asked, sitting up.

"Bet you she'd never notice if we left," James looked around the greenhouse. "I don't even know what we're supposed to be doing. Something about the lifespan of the branches in different water types."

"Well let's go then," Penny nodded, "I'm starving."

"You just had... Never mind," James stood up and began walking behind a large vine trunk that extended from floor to ceiling.

Penny grabbed her bag and followed him. "What? I'm on my period. I need food."

James winced and threw the cloak over himself and Penny once they were out of plain sight. "I said nevermind."

Together the two friends tiptoed over vines and branches that covered the greenhouse floor. Penny whispered to James once they were out the door, "I call hexing Mulciber when he's not looking." The image of Mary under the Imperius Curse still hadn't left Penny's mind.

James took the cloak off of himself and Penny once they were out of earshot of the greenhouses. "Only if I get to pick the hex that you use."


End file.
